The Pilot Study

The jury is no longer out on the question about animal abuse being connected to abuse against persons. A vast body of research now exists. These findings have supported the introduction of ‘LINK‘ groups where professionals address incidents of serious animal abuse as being deemed indicative of ‘at risk‘ individuals and families and interventions are introduced. Those who are cruel to animals are more likely to engage in a range of abusive behaviours including adult violence, elder abuse, child abuse etc... Numerous examples are identified where murderers exhibited a history of severe animal abuse. Mullen P. (1996); PETA (2003); Neustatter, A (1998); Ascione, FR (1999); Lockwood R & Hodge, GH (1998); Wright, J & Hensley, C (2003).It would appear essential then for a society to identify causes and seek to intervene in the abuse patterns which are created and practised. Almost all previous research has been conducted in regions where animal abuse is the exception, involves attachment and familiarity with abused animal and/or perpetrator, animal welfare laws exist and are enforced and animal control programs have been successfully introduced - Ascione, (1998); Flynn, (2000); DeViney, Dickert & Lockwood (1983).In a number of countries in Eastern Europe these criteria are not satisfied. In some EU-member countries such as Greece, Romania and Bulgaria, and the other eastern European countries, such as Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Macedonia, lack of any humane animal control policy has resulted in many hundreds of thousands of stray animals living on the streets. Animal protection laws exist but are rarely enforced. What are the implications of endemic abuse being experienced regularly on the streets of these countries? What impact on psychological health? What are the societal ramifications introduced by the numerical preponderance of homeless animals providing availability of thousands of potential abuse victims? The ‘Making the Link‘ study was initiated by Teesside University (UK) to explore the connection between exposure to endemic abuse in social environments where no previous research had been conducted. Given that exposure to abuse can produce a progressive desensitization process with attendant reduction in empathy - Beetz, AM (2009), four psychometric measures were introduced. Two seeking to evaluate empathy factors - Basic Empathy Scale (20 items); Jolliffe, D and Farrington, DP (2006) and Empathy Assessment Index (23 items); Gerdes, K. E., Lietz, C. & Segal, E. A. (2011); Achenbach Youth Self Report (114 items); Achenbach, T. M. (1991); to explore a range of psychological factors and a modified version of CTSARE (14 items) Boat, B.W. (2002) providing a self-response questionnaire. The YSR was modified to include two additional questions about exposure to abuse and perpetration of abuse. These were presented to children aged 14-16 in Bistrita, Romania and a control group in Berlin, Germany.

Pilot Study Results

It can be seen that the prevalence of animal abuse exposure is significantly greater in Romania.

Also the location of abuse exposure is significantly experienced in public places. This presents a completely differentresearch domain to any previously conducted.

The study showed that in Bistrita, of those who had seen animals being abused, 86.3 % had seen this ‘many times‘ (r= .329 p<.001) whereas in Berlin 34% reported having seen this a number of times.Fewer significant correlations were found between animal abuse exposure and empathy variables although some attention and anxiety/depression factors require further investigation. Minimal empathy diminishment can perhaps be accounted for because exposure to abuse was overwhelmingly witnessed in public places with minimal ‘emotional proximity‘ either to the perpetrator. Previous research has suggested increased effect if abuse is conducted by significant others (Baldry, 2003). Also, although abuse exposure is a daily possibility, reinforcement of exposure to domestic animal abuse, has not been identified. Exposure to animal abuse at home was 2.0% in both Bistrita and Berlin.What are significant are the correlations between those who have declared that they have abused animals and their psychological profiles. These indicate that abuse of animals is correlated with aggressive tendencies, violence and empathy diminishment factors. Significant correlations with abuse of animals include:

One of the correlations which could be highly significant was the number of children who admitted to abusing animals and also frequently running away from home (r=.212 p<0.01). An explanation has been given that when domestic abuse occurs, children will leave home until it subsides. Examples were given in rural communities where children would sleep on a bench or even in the pig sty to avoid the violence. Given the high numbers of stray animals on the streets and the high prevalence of animal abuse in public, the question to be asked is whether the identified personality aberrations result from exposure to domestic abuse or from another source. The statistical significance that these children seek to leave home would be suggestive of domestic origins. One study showed 75% of teenage males having been domestically abused in Romania. If aggression is learned in the home (Bandura. A - 1973) and because of socio-political factors in Eastern Europe, a ready availability of animal victims exists on the streets, does abuse of animals therefore act as a ‘buffer‘ preventing inter-human aggression or does it promote violent tendencies and serve to increase aggression?From Levin, J and Arluke, A in 'The Link Between Animal Abuse and Human Violence' ed Andrew Linzey:

Inflicting injury, suffering or death on an animal, absent of provocation or hostility, gives an individual tremendous psychological pleasure... the malicious youngster rehearses his sadistic attacks - perhaps on animals, perhaps on other people, perhaps on both - and continues into his adult years to perpetrate the same sorts of sadistic acts on human beings. His attacks on animals are serious and personal.He chooses 'socially valued or culturally humanized animals - for example dogs and cats - against which to carry out his sadistic aims but he is likely to repeat his abusive behaviour on a variety of animals.If he later finds a socially acceptable means of compensating for his sense of powerlessness, then he might very well escape the grip of violence perpetrated against humans. If not, his early experience with animal cruelty may become a training ground for later committing assaults, rape, and even murder'

What is evident is that around 10% of children in the study were identified as having abused animals. Their profiles show strong correlations with increased aggression, negative empathy towards fellow human beings, social violence and theft.The major significant factor between the control location and Romania is the number of animals ‘free roaming‘ on the streets. Bistrita (pop 61,000) alone is calculated to have 2,000 animals living on the streets with a suggested 3,000,000 throughout Romania. One of the answers which Phase -2- will seek to answer will be whether this availability provides a ‘training facility‘ for increasing potential for abuse against humans.10% of the 170 children in the research program exhibited aggression syndrome and used the ready availability of potential animal victims in public places to displace this aggression. With 2,000 children in this age group in Bistrita, extrapolation suggests 200 children locally seeking animal victims to exercise displaced aggression. This suggests that in a 60,000 population, taken over a 40 year societal timeframe of all ages, 4,000 individuals are at any one time, seeking to act out their aggression on the animals and potentially against other people. With a number of countries in south and eastern Europe experiencing similar environments, ramifications could be seen to invite a major political mandate. PROJECT PLANThe Romanian city of Bistrita has been identified as providing the necessary support infrastructure to introduce three interventions. Psychometric measures will be presented to the children 'before' and 'after' the interventions have been introduced. This will provide necessary scientific data to evaluate and present details of positive individual and societal change.

We would like to express our appreciation to all those who participated in the Pilot Study